Improvement in furnaces for roasting ores



, L v v v f lin@ C. E. ROBINSON. Furnace for-Roasting Ore. No. 212,508.`PatentedFeb. 18,1879..

ATTUBNEYS..

UNITED STATES PATENT OEE-10E. Y

CHARLESlE. ROBINSON, OF BROOKLYN, 4NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT lN FURNACES FIOR` ROASTlNlG ORES.`

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 212,508Qdated February18, 1879; application tiled January 17, 1878. i

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. ROBINSON, of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Processand AApparatus for Treating particularly for desulphurizin g aurfero usores,

the object being to secure the desired result in a more`perfect manner,in a shorter time, and with less expenditure of fuel and labor thanheretofore.

In carrying out the process, a charge of pnlverizedore is admitted intothe cupola, aud a iet or blast of air, gas, or steam is admitted at thebottom of the cupola.7 and, passing up throughthe ore, causes it to boilor play like the waters of a fountain. The ore is subjected to theaction oi' a forced furnace or flame blast simultaneously with suchebullitiou, the blast being admitted through a laterahopening-in `thecupola. When the ore-charge has been roasted a sufficient time, thesteam and air and furnace-blasts are shut olf, and the oreis' allowed todischarge through asuitable oritice in the bottom of the cupola., Afresh chargeis then admitted into the cupola, and the operation isrepeated.

The apparatus includes novel features of construction in respect tosupplying or feeding ore to the cupola and discharging it therefrom;also in respect to chioridizin g `the ore, all as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specilcation, Figure1 is a sectional elevation` ofthe furnace. y Fig. 2 represents amoditied arrangement of certain parts ofthe furnace.

'The retort orcombustion-chamber D, which is an exterior portion orattachment of the stack A, has a vertical part, forming a fuelchamber,a, into which coal or Wood is introduced by removing thef air-tight ironycover b. A funnel, c, is secured in the outer end of thecombustion-chamber D, and provided with an annular slide, d, forregulating the admission of atmospheric air. The air jet er current'isinduced by steam, which is' ejected from the nozzle of pipe E, thatenters the mouth of funnel c. This pipe is provided with a cock, e, forregulating the steamjet or blast.

Surrounding, or partly surrounding, .the up per portion of the body ofthe stack or cupola the stack, serves to conduct the ore into theinterior of the latter, where it falls in a stream or shower whilecharging the furnace. An

air or steam jet or blast-pipe, G, connects with c,

the base of the stack A, and is provided with a valve, h', forregulating the force of the jet of air orxsteam. Said pipe G has aflexible portion, p, which is attached to pendent tube, forming part of.a pivoted gate, C, which is used for' discharging ore after treatmen t`The bottom of stack or cupola A is made coneshaped, to aid iuconcentrating and returning theore to the action of the blast from pipeG.

A detlector, B, is located in the upper portion of the stack A. It iscomposed of a conical truncated hood, and a convex cap or cover placedimmediately above it. The hood concentrates the ore-particles passingupward and diverts them against the cap or cover, `by which they aredeflected downward and the heavier portion returned into' the body ofthe stack. i

From the top I of the cupola A a large pipe, I', leads down to achamber, K, where the particles of ore which may pass the decctor B' andsteam-jet b', being driven by sufficient velocity against or into thewater in tank k, are collected in said tank, thus-preventing anypossible loss of ore.

The chamber K is constructed with `an in-` clined top, terminating in a?shaft or chimney,

L, for carrying oil' the gases or vapors. If it l mal or ordinarytemperature.

through it, thus carrying gases of combustion `into the cupola A, wherethey meet with and act on tlzepulverized ore. The blast from the gas orsteam pipe' serves to hold the charge ofore in suspension, keeping it inconstant p play, like the waters of a fountain, the ore be ing forced orcarried up in the center of the cupola, and falling again on the sidenext the wailof the cupola, and also serves to turn the amestoward thebottom of the stack, thus heating it as hot as the upper portion.. Theparticles of ore which have been carried to the y upperpart of the stackA. are turned from their upward course by the defiector B. If anyparticles should escape the dcector, the small steam-jet b", at openingof pipe l, serres to drive them back, the gases escaping through thesteam into the pipe I', and thence `into the tank K. 'From the chamber Kthe sulphurons gases pass through pipe L into the outer air.

The height to which the column of ore in the cupola is raised isregulated by the force of the jet from pipe G, and that in turnobviviously depends, mainly, upon the position of valve or cock h.

The ore in the exterior chamber, f, is heated by radiation from thestack, so that it is fed to the dame in a condition favoringdesul'phuration, thereby enabling the process to be more quickly andperfectly attain ed than would be practicable if the ore were suppliedat its nor-v It is obvious the steam and air jet may lbe so regulated asto produce 'a more or less intense combustion and heat, and therebygraduate the effect on the ore up to a perfect roast.

AIn chloridizing ores, I introduce the salt through the pipe r into apocket, S, formed on the bridge-wall ci' the lire-chamber D, thussubjecting the salt to the action of the dame. I' do not confine myselfto this method of introducin g the salt, as it may be done ip variousWays. A stream of chlorine gas maybe introduced by means of the jet-pipeG, at bottom of stack A. l

' When the ore is sufficiently treated it is discharged through theopening at the bottom of stack A, which opening is provided, as beforestated, with a gate, C. This gate is constructed in such a manner thatit turns on a pivot. and is tightened, when closed, by a handled screw,m, as shown in the drawing.

, erases Steam, air, or gas Ais introduced through the' The top of thestack is provided with a' damper, 0, or other suitable device, to beusedi. c., opened-when starting the re.

According to the modification shown in Fig.v

2, the cupola-pipe I discharges the gases dircctly into the pipe L. Thelatter is enlarged, and provided with aninclined bottom, so that anyparticles of ore that may be brought over with the gases will slide downthe same, and be returned to the cupola A thronghnan opening in the sidethereof, or, if that is not dcsired, will be discharged into tank K,aswhen the apparatus is constructed as shown in' FigJ.

I propose to apply my improved process and apparatus in treating variouskinds of orcs, more especially ores of gold and silver.

I am aware it is not broadly new to subject ore to the action of afurnace-blast when in :i pulverulent condition; but heretofore the. orehas been forced through the furnace-blast in a continuons stream, so'that there was but a momentary action and -eiiectof the flame pro-'ducedon the ore, and hence no satisfactory result was attained.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new isfy 1. Theprocess of roasting pnlverized ores, consisting in subjecting a chargeof the same to the simultaneous action of a jet of flame and of a jet ofair, steam,or gas introduced underneath the charge, whereby theparticles of ore are kept in continual suspension and agitation durin gthe whole operation, substantially as described.

2. Incombination with the cupola, the air, gas, or steam jet pipe orpipes G,'the jacket F, and the discharge-aperture g,al1 as shown anddescribed.

3. In combination with the base of the cupola, having adischarge-aperture, the pivotcd horizontally-swinging gate C, the rigidjetpipe G, Vand flexible connecting piece p, as shown and described. f

4. The combination, with the fuel-chamber and cupola, of thesalt-'pocket S `and feed-pipe r, for the purpose specified.

l cHAs; E. nonizsox.

Witnesses I. N. SMITH,

G. WAKEFIELD.

